The Light That Follows Darkness

After sharing the food with the twins, I decided to train my body and mixed martial arts skills while they took turns freshening up and changing into the new clothes that Ryuji had brought them earlier. I needed to keep myself in shape and ready for anything, even if it meant enduring more pain.

The twins came out of the bathroom one by one, wearing clean and comfortable outfits. They looked happier and more relaxed than before, and I felt a pang of joy and guilt in my heart. I wished I could give them more than this, more than a brief moment of peace in this hell.

I went into the bathroom myself and slowly peeled off the bandages that covered my wounds. I winced as some of them stuck to my skin, tearing off bits of flesh and blood. I poured some antiseptic and soap on a cloth and gently rubbed it over my body, trying to prevent any infections that could worsen my condition. I dried myself with a towel and put on some pants, leaving my upper body bare. I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot that the twins were waiting for me in the cell. I didn’t mean to flaunt my physique or anything; I just didn’t notice that I was still using my old habits from when I was alone in my cell.

The twins looked at me as I walked out of the bathroom, and I saw two different expressions on their faces. One was a mix of embarrassment and awe, as they probably had never seen a man’s naked torso before, let alone one as muscular and defined as mine. I didn’t want to sound arrogant, but I had worked hard to sculpt my body into a weapon, thanks to Eve’s training program and my own martial arts regimen when I was in Corvius high school.

The other expression was one of sadness and sympathy, as they noticed the cracks and scars that marred my skin, reminding them of their past burns.

I climbed on the bed, forgetting that I was still naked and not giving their gazes any thought and began to wrap myself with the fresh bandages that Lana and Ryuji had given me. I started from my feet and worked my way up to my thighs, but when I tried to reach for my lower torso and move up to my face, I felt two pairs of hands stop me.

I looked up and saw the twins staring at me with tearful eyes. Ha-Eun spoke first: “Xeno, we should be angry with you for walking out of the bathroom half-naked in front of two young ladies, but we can’t bring ourselves to scold you. How did they do this to you? How can you bear such pain? How can you still be so strong?”

I snapped out of my trance and realized what I had done. I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me, and I quickly grabbed a shirt to cover myself.

However, Hana held me back and tried to calm me down: “Xeno, don’t be ashamed. You have a beautiful body and a handsome face, even under those bandages, yet what they did to you was cruel and inhuman. Seeing you like this hurts us more than anything. Please, let us help you. We can see that you’re having trouble with it.”

I felt a surge of embarrassment and irritation, and I snapped at Hana: “Hana, you sound like a perverted old man with your compliments. Your words don’t match your appearance at all. Also, leave me alone, I can do it myself.”

However, the twins wouldn’t listen. They took the bandages from my hands and began to wrap them around my torso, moving up to my neck. When they got to my face, they pulled back my long black hair and tied it with a strip of cloth that they had ripped from somewhere. Then they gently covered my face with bandages, being careful to wrap the ear where Eve was hiding in a thicker bandage to hide her from the guards’ sight.

When they finished bandaging me up, I got up quickly and wore a shirt while thanking them. I also promised myself that from now on I would bandage myself in the bathroom so that the twins wouldn’t offer to help me as today. However, I knew deep down that they wouldn’t allow that, especially after seeing my condition and witnessing my struggle to bandage myself.

When I was about to begin my meditation, I heard a knock on the door. It was Ryuji who came to take the trays and to tell me that the chief agreed to have a meeting with me and that I should accompany him now.

I nodded at Ryuji and turned to the twins. "You two stay here and stay safe. I'll be back soon."

Ha-Eun looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Be careful, Xeno. Don't do anything reckless."

I smiled at her and patted her head gently. "Don't worry. I'll be careful."

With a sense of determination, I followed Ryuji out of my cell and into the expansive dome-shaped area. The corridors stretched out before us, lined with rows of cells that housed countless prisoners. As we walked past, the sight of their suffering struck me deeply. Most of them were in terrible shape, their bodies frail and barely clinging to life. It was a heartbreaking scene that filled me with a mix of sadness and anger. However, I knew that at that moment, there was nothing I could do to alleviate their pain.

My focus shifted to the upcoming meeting with the chief, knowing that it held the key to our next steps. Leaving the prison area behind, we entered a well-lit metallic corridor and made our way directly to the chief's office, a place I had reluctantly visited before.

Upon entering, my eyes fell upon the grey-haired old man sitting behind the desk, engrossed in his work on his HT.

As he noticed my presence, he paused, a sickening smile spreading across his face. With a condescending tone, he greeted me, "Hoh, if it isn't Xeno. What brings you here, brat?" His demeanor only fueled my agitation and murderous intent.

I couldn't hold back any longer and retorted, "Cut the crap, old man. You already know why I'm here."

The chief looked at me with a clueless expression, feigning ignorance. With a smile, he responded, "Well, I have no idea why you are here. Care to explain?"

My anger intensified with each passing second of his act, but I decided to cut to the chase and confront him directly.

I laid out my conclusions, "Old man, you may act like you don't know anything, but wasn't it your idea to bring the twins to my cell? Out of all the empty places in this facility, you deliberately chose to place them with me. So, I asked myself what was your motive? After asking myself that question I was able to easily see through your twisted mind. You orchestrated it all so that I would feel empathy toward those twins and be compelled to strike a deal with you in order to save them. You knew that subjecting them to any gene modifications or torture with their frail bodies and mentality would result in their immediate demise. So, you thought, why not bring them to my cell and manipulate me into wanting to save them? It would give me the motivation to endure more genetic modification and torture, ultimately increasing the success rate of your sick experiments. And if, by any chance, I was to die, you would have fresh and strong test subjects to continue your twisted work. Wasn't that your thought process, old man?"

As the words left my mouth, a tense silence filled the room. The chief's expression wavered, caught off guard by my accurate analysis.

He rose from his chair and burst into applause.

He stared at me with such a fierce gaze that it made me flinch and said: “Bravo, kid, bravo. You read my mind like an open book. Amazing, simply amazing.”

I interrupted his praise and said: “Spare me the bullshit, old man. What’s your price for letting the twins off the hook? What do you want from me in exchange for their safety?”

“What I want from you kid, is exactly what you guessed. I want you to suffer more, to endure more, to push you to your limits. What I also wanted was to see your reaction when you agreed to this bargain. I expected you to be scared and desperate, but I was wrong. Hey, kid, I have an offer for you. Why don’t you join us?”

I felt a surge of anger and disbelief. Join them? After everything they had done to me and the other people here? After all the pain and horror, they had inflicted on me and countless others? After all the souls they have sacrificed for their twisted goals? How could he even ask me that?

I spat on the floor and said: “You must be out of your mind, old man. I would rather die than join your twisted experiments. You can keep your offer and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. There is one thing I demand from you now: your oath. I will submit to your every whim, your every test, your every torment, as long as the twins are unharmed. However, I want you to swear it, right here, right now, in front of this guard. Don’t you dare betray me as Rick and Carlo did. You are the boss here, and your reputation is at stake.”

The chief feeling agitated looked at Ryuji and said: “Punch him as hard as you can a couple of times. Make sure he splits blood. I hate that filthy defiant mouth of his.”

Ryuji got closer to me and whispered sorry before punching me a couple of times in my stomach and face making me split blood. After he was done the chief looked at me with a satisfied grin and said:” You got a deal brat! Now get the fuck out of my face.”

I looked him dead in the eyes and said:” You better pray that none of your experiments work because if they do, I will have your head on a plate while dancing the rain dance around it.”

With those words said I was escorted back to my cell by Ryuji with him apologizing for what he did. However, I told him not to mind it since he was obliged to do what he was ordered.